Best FPV goggles

What are the best FPV goggles?

FPV googles or FPV glasses are the googles that you can use when flying your quadcopter via FPV. So when you are flying your quadcopter and you want to watch first person video, you can attach FPV goggles on your head and pilot the plane through them. They offer immersive flying experience. This is the good way to have a quality first person flying experience. You see the aircraft from the pilot perspective. There are quite a lot of FPV goggles on the market. Currently the biggest manufacturers are Fat Shark, Skyzone, Spektrum, Quanum, Generic, FlySight and many others. Here we analyse which are the best FPV goggles currently on the market.

FPV goggles reviews

Bellow is FPV goggles comparison chart and some reviews of the goggles.

FlySight 32 Ch SpeXman 5.8Ghz Diversity FPV Goggles

FlySight 32 Ch SpeXman review

FlySight 32 Ch SpeXman review

Those are high quality goggles that allow you to use the FPV at its finest. It has a good video receiver with diversity function. Antennas have also a great feature that they point in different directions. That assures a good signal to the goggles and makes the video more watchable. It offers great flying experience and it is not too hard to use. It has 5 buttons and a front camera. Front camera helps you see what is going on in front of you. You can watch the video from front camera and from flight simultaneously. It has a good screen resolution (854×480) and mediocre front camera (resolution of front camera is slightly worse, 640×480). Another good thing about those goggles is that they come with a small bag and all the wiring. That allows you to store your goggles in nice bag. It might not be a big deal but it does add to the overall style which it provides.

Fat Shark Predator V2 FPV goggles

Fat Shark Predator V2 review

Fat Shark Predator V2 review

Those are perhaps one of the most famous FPV goggles on the market. It comes with 5.8 Ghz receiver and has one antenna. This is why it does not have a diversity function. The screen has a resolution of 922.000 pixels (640×480 VGA). It also has head tracking which works just perfectly. Video that you get is wonderful. You can attach the wireless camera to virtually anything. For example, you can even attach it on a dog and have a first person dog experience with those goggles. You can also change the antenna and some other parts to fit your needs better. That is especially good if you want some special antenna to extend the reach. Although even with those goggles, the reach is quite far already – up to 3,000 feet (3 kilometers). The batteries last a long time before they need charging and it also beeps before the battery is off. The batteries for goggles work much longer than those for quadcopter, so it will rarely happen to you that you would run out of battery. With all this in mind, it is no wonder that those goggles have been top seller for a long time. They are simply great and offer you a great experience!

Skyzone SKY-01S FPV AIO Video Goggles

Skyzone SKY-01S review

Skyzone SKY-01S review

Skyzone have provided another great product. Their goggles have two antennas and diversity receiver and head tracker. They are quite simple to use. The screen has a high resolution – 854×480 (1230k pixels). Besides all that it also has wide angle front view camera. Its advantages are obvious; it helps you to understand what is happening around you while you are flying. Goggles have high sensitivity of and in total 60 channel receiver. You can also hear all the sound on your earphone while flying. The front camera has a resolution of 680×480. The receiver has a frequency of 5.8 Ghz and can reach quite far. It also comes with a bag and a manual. It does not come with a battery though (800-1000mah battery). Goggles offer a great piloting experience and are also great for racing quads. Moreover the reach of the antenna is quite far, which is also an important feature.

Fat Shark Dominator V3 FPV Goggles

Fat Shark Dominator V3 review

Fat Shark Dominator V3 review

Fat Shark Dominator V3 FPV goggles are a newer version of Fat Shark goggles. They are even more user friendly. They offer DVR recording and 800×480 resolution. Receiver modules are available with 1.3 Ghz, 2.4 Ghz and 5.8 Ghz options. You can also add a head tracker. That enables you to fit it to your specific transmitter. When you buy them, you also get the wiring and the battery. The goggles are simple to use. Fat Shark is also a great brand in FPV goggle market so the quality is quite good. The battery is 1800 mAh and it has a LED indicator. Battery life is good and in general you do not have to worry about it when flying. It rarely happens that the goggles run out of the battery. They also come with face softeners so they fit your face much better and you will not have scratches with those goggles. They weigh 1.6 pounds.

FatShark Teleporter V3 FPV Video Goggles

FatShark Teleporter V3 review

FatShark Teleporter V3 review

Those goggles are another upgrade of V2 goggles. They have one antenna with 5.8 Ghz transmitter. The kit also includes 720p pilot HD camera. It is also possible to record onboard HD video with the included camera. But the goggles do not have DVR recording. Goggles unfortunately have no head tracking. Goggles are simple to use and have good batteries with low power consumption. Battery is included and battery life is long. They are also a bit cheaper than most of the FPV goggles. But although they offer low price, they do not lack quality and usability. Flying experience with them is very immersive and realistic. The battery does not die soon and you can fly without worries. It does not have a camera mounted on, so you need to remove the goggles while flying in order to see around you. Still, it does not hurt the flying experience too much.

Spektrum FPV System

Spektrum FPV System review

Spektrum FPV System review

Spektrum offers some great goggles. Those come equipped with wires and battery, so you have all in one system. They have 5.8 Ghz receiver and even provides you with a FPV camera. It is very easy to install all the components and it has good signal for ultra light aircrafts. Those goggles are meant to be used on smaller quadcopters. Unfortunately those goggles cannot record the data from the flight. But the good thing is that you can also use those goggles on other rc machines – cars and planes. So it has multifunctionality. The whole system is made for less experienced flyers, so it is very easy to use. But goggles are by far the best thing in this system. Unfortunately it is not good for larger aircrafts or quadcopters. Still, the goggles offer good flying experience and the whole package is probably the best choice for small quadcopter owners.

Headplay HD FPV goggles

Headplay HD FPV review

Headplay HD FPV review

Those are another great goggles! Shipping might be a problem here since it takes a while for them to be shipped from Hong Kong. The goggles have the 32ch 5.8GHz receiver. They work on most quadcopters. They also offer a long range of flying. Moreover they are not too hard to use. Screen resolution is wonderful and it is reserved for high quality FPV cameras. It is 1280×800. The picture is also adjustable via menus. Goggles are easy to clean and in case they fall, they are not likely to brake. That is because they are made of durable materials. The battery works just great! It will provide you with a long battery life so you can fly for a long time. Those goggles are made for quality quadcopters and maybe for also more experienced pilots. Goggles weigh 2.8 pounds which is a bit more than an average in FPV goggles market. In general they offer great value for the price.

Quanum DIY FPV Goggle Set

Quanum DIY FPV Goggle Set review

Quanum DIY FPV Goggle Set review

If you are on a tight budget and do not mind a bit worse quality of the goggles, those goggles might be just right for you! Since they tried to make them cheap, the goggles have DIY component in them. You get all the parts in the package and they just have to be put together. Resolution is low – 680px. The goggles themselves are not made of the best and most durable materials, but the materials are okay and they will provide you with a decent flight. What is very important is that they are easy to put together, so they can also be suitable for inexperienced pilots. They do not offer extra additions like DVR recording or head tracking. Those are also only viewing goggles, so you need to pair them yourself with receiver, transmitter and camera. They do not weight much (less than a pound). When put together those goggles still give you a nice flight and you still get some of the FPV goggles experience.

Spektrum Teleporter V4 Video Headset

FlySight 32 Ch SpeXman review

FlySight 32 Ch SpeXman review

Spektrum Teleporter V4 review

Spektrum Teleporter V4 review

Those goggles are also among the less expensive goggles on the market. The receiver is 5.8 Ghz and it has one antenna. It is compatible with all Spektrum and Fat Shark cameras which are 5.8 Ghz. There is also one special feature available on those goggles, that is head tracking. That makes the flying very interesting, immersive and engaging. Goggles are compatible with most of the quadcopters, but you might have to cycle through channels that are on the goggles. The range is pretty good – between 1.5 and 3 miles. The goggles have two QVGA 320 x 240 LCD displays. They are easy to use and offer a great flying and piloting experience. They do not have DVR recording though. In general this is an entry level product which has a formidable quality. Also video has 480p resolution which might not be the best on the market. It weights 2.6 pounds.

Fatshark BASE SD FPV Headset Goggle

Fatshark BASE SD review

Fatshark BASE SD review

Those goggles are another Fat Shark product. A receiver works well and it has a specific feature for this model that it can remove the video noise from 433 Mhz and 2.4 Ghz radios. There are minimum controls which make it easy to use and also extend reliability and durability. The goggles have adjustable 59-69 mm interpupillary (IPP) distance. It also supports lens inserts for those who do not have a good eyesight (short sighted people). Goggles have 640×480 display (922,000 pixels). The goggles weight 2 pounds. They are powered by LiPo batteries. They are made for experienced pilots as well as for less experienced pilots. Flying (and piloting) experience with them is very nice. The problem can be if you run 5.8 Ghz video, because those goggles have receiver for lower frequencies. They do not have head tracking and DVR recording. But they have a very good price for the quality that you get.

What to look for when buying FPV goggles?

Video receiver – frequency and other features

Usually FPV goggles come with video receiver, but not always. Some receivers only run 5.8Ghz frequency band and some offer other frequencies as well. 5.8Ghz is most widely used frequency for flying with FPV goggles so it will might be good anyway. But if you plan to fly on other frequencies, that might be a problem. There are also other frequencies that are good for flying, for example 2.4 and similar which are becoming popular recently. 5.8 Ghz FPV is good for standard quadcopters, but when there are obstacles they might have bad reception and you might lose the picture. So having a receiver with different frequencies is definitely beneficial for you. Moreover, some FPV goggles also offer video receiver diversity which means that when there are more video receivers (two or more) the diversity automatically chooses the best reception and therefore gives you better video quality. Receivers typically have their own antennas which can point in different directions or are just different types of antennas so they work differently. This is a nice feature to have on your FPV goggles as well.

Antenna

Antenna is also an important part of your receiver and therefore also of your goggles. Antenna is attached to the goggles and usually you have two antennas so they can reach further. The signal is very important for final video that is received. Antennas have to be compatible with receivers. If you are buying FPV goggles, than this does not matter to you, but if you are building your FPV goggles by yourself, then this is important. Also antenna needs some housing, otherwise it can be very fragile and you might break it fast.

FPV goggles display resolution

In general you have limited resolution coming from FPV cameras. That is because the signal cannot transmit the best resolution in real time. Because of this FPV goggles with high display resolution might not be a good idea unless you have a good camera. You can check out the guide to choosing good FPV camera. In case you have a good FPV camera, resolution becomes more important. It gives you clearer picture and better flying experience. Also if you plan to keep your goggles for some time and change your quadcopters, take into account that technology will probably advance and video transmitted from the quadcopter will get better. So you will need a good FPV goggles display resolution. Display resolution goes from 600×480 on. In case you can get better resolution from your camera to your goggles and in case that the goggles offer high resolution, you will get high quality video. That improves your piloting experience.

Video recording option – built in DVR

That is a great option and some of the FPV goggles have that. This option is called DVR and it can save some of your flights. That is very good in case you try to analyze your mistakes or just have a memory of where you were flying. In case you crash you can rewind back and see where it got wrong. Some goggles allow saving on micro SD card, but external DVR is also an option. Another good usage of that option is that you show your friends how you flew if you had any special and interesting flight.

Video quality, DPI and inter-pupilary distance

DPI is an important measure of video quality. It means dots per inch and it is a measure of video dot density. More of them mean better picture. As discussed previously, more is only good if you have a better quadcopter with camera because it needs to be able to transfer a better video quality from camera to receiver. IPD or inter-pupilary distance is the distance between center of the pupils of the each eye. Many of goggles nowadays have adjustable IPD, but there are also a large number of goggles that are not adjustable. It is best if you determine by yourself how much you need. Usually you can adjust it in different length.

Other goodies FPV goggles with head tracking

There are also other good things that FPV goggles can have, for example head tracking. In this way you bind the camera with your head so you can adjust it by moving your head. Although it is interesting thing, it is usually not that necessary. Still, many users love this option and it is becoming increasingly popular. Head tracking is usually also good if you are used to that. At start you might make some mistakes with it. But usually this is quite intuitive and therefore a nice feature to have. It also does not hurt your signal considerably.

Batteries

They are usually attached on the back end of the goggles. Although you will have to refill, they usually hold on for quite a long time. FPV goggles battery life is quite long and usually there are not many problems with that. LiPo batteries are used for FPV goggles.

5.8 Ghz FPV goggles

5.8 Ghz FPV goggles are most often used in flying applications. They are good because with this frequency you can get quite cheap receiver. That means that you can save some money on that. You can also buy 5.8Ghz FPV goggles with diversity at a good price. But the downside of that is that you will not have the top quality of the receiver. As soon as there is some obstacle, the signal will no longer be strong. And with a bad signal it is a bit harder to fly. Well, according to the FAA rules, quadcopter must always be in the line of sight anyway. That means that you should not fly too far and beyond obstacles. So in that case such goggles are good and can easily be used. Another good thing is that usually you are not very long behind the obstacle which means that you only lose the video connection for few seconds. You can still control your quadcopter.

All in all such goggles can be bought if you do not want to spend too much on the receiver. But remember, in FPV goggles market it is usually true that higher price means also higher quality.

Front camera

When flying the quadcopter for a while with goggles, you have no idea what is happening around you. It is absolutely beneficial that you can switch to the normal sight around you. Front camera enables you to do just that – you can see how does the environment around you change. You also keep the grip on reality with that. Of course, you could just remove the goggles for few seconds, but this is not that feasible. You can press some button by mistake and also it takes more work. Plus it’s less cool.

Price

Price of FPV goggles can vary. Usually they will cost you more than $100. Most of the good ones cost few hundred dollars. There are some cheaper ones, but most of them have their cons. Advisable price that you should pay for FPV goggles are around $350-$500. For this money you can get some pretty decent goggles which will give you unforgettable flying experience. The number of the people who use the FPV goggles today is rising fast. Soon most of quadcopter enthusiasts and users will have them.

FPV goggles with glasses – what if you are short or long sighted?

Many people wear glasses and they want to use goggles. Since goggles are placed over your head, they can undoubtedly take away space from your glasses. FPV goggle creates a screen that appears few meters away from you. So the answer to the question asked is: “it depends.” If you are long sighted, you should have no problems because of the way the goggles function. But if you are short sighted, then you have a problem. That means that you can see close but not at distance. The solution can be to use diopter lenses that are made for short sighted people. Alternative solution is to use DIY goggles where you can put the glasses on while piloting. You can design goggles that have enough space for you to take glasses on while using them.

Do It Yourself (DIY) goggles

In order to make DIY goggles, you first need a screen. Screen can be bought online or at your local shop. Then you need to design the craft foam to form a box which should be the same size as LCD screen. Then cut the box to fit the face and put the LCD screen a bit further from eyes so your eyes won’t feel discomfort. You can then wire the antenna and receiver on the box.

This is just one way of doing it. There are many other ways as well. Experiment or discover your own way to fit your needs perfectly.